Ponderosa Stomp cancelled

The Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans has been a fantastic event over the last ten years and has featured dozens of obscure and half-forgotten names from the world of rock and roll, soul, blues, swamp pop and garage. Last year's show may not quite have reached the heights of previous years (largely because so many great artists have died over the last few years) but it was nevertheless the highlight of the year for everyone who attended. So it's a great disappointment to hear that the Stomp will not take place this year.
To quote the official announcement: 'The Ponderosa Stomp Foundation has decided to dedicate our focus in 2012 to our educational and preservationist programs and activities. In the coming year, we will concentrate on building an online archive of the important videos and audio recordings we have collected, along with other projects that further our goals in these fields. We are very proud of the huge number of incredible musicians we've been able to showcase as well as building our film festival, music conference and record show. To prioritize the development these new programs, we will be moving the next Ponderosa Stomp Festival to fall of 2013. The extra year in between festivals will allow us the time and resources to focus on the Foundation's other activities.'
In other words Dr Ike - the man behind the Stomp - needs some time off. The cancellation of this year's show is a real blow. Who knows whether I, or others, will make it to the Stomp in 2013. We can only hope that the Stomp will return, and that we can make it back to New Orleans.